As the method of mounting an electronic component on a substrate, a method of employing an anisotropic conductive tape (abbreviated as “ACF” hereinafter) is known. That is, such a method is known that, as shown in FIG. 13(a), an ACF 51 laminated on a separator tape 50 is positioned over electrodes 54 of a substrate 53 loaded on a stage 52 to oppose to the electrodes 54, then, as shown in FIG. 13(b), the ACF affixing step of affixing the ACF 51 onto the electrodes 54 of the substrate 53 is executed by pushing the ACF 51 against the electrodes 54 of the substrate 53 from the top of the separator tape 50 by means of a pressure applying tool 55, then the electrodes of the electronic component are aligned with the electrodes 54 of the substrate 53 and the electronic component is fitted to the electrodes via the ACF 51, and then the electrodes are joined together by applying a heat and a pressure.
In the ACF affixing equipments for performing the above ACF affixing step, there is known the equipment that affixes collectively the ACF 51 whose length is substantially equal to a length of the side edge portion of the substrate 53 on which a plurality of electrodes 54 are provided. In this case, such a problem existed that, when an alignment pitch interval of the electrodes 54 is larger than a length of the electrodes 54, the ACF 51 is consumed wastefully and a cost is increases because the ACF 51 is expensive. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 13, there is known the equipment that repeats the action, which cuts the ACF 51 into a length corresponding to the length of the electrodes 54 and affixes the cut ACF onto each electrode 54, plural time in response to the number of electrodes 54 arranged on the side edge portion of the substrate 53 (see Patent Literature 1, for example).
Also, there is known the equipment that is equipped with two affixing units for affixing the ACF onto the electrodes of the substrate, wherein the alignment pitch between these affixing units can be adjusted to meet the alignment pitch interval of the electrodes on the substrate such that the ACF can be affixed at a time onto two electrodes of the substrate (see Patent Literature 2, for example).
As a configurative example of this type ACF affixing equipment, as shown in FIG. 14, there is considered the equipment that is equipped with affixing units 60 for unwinding a tape 61 whose ACF 61a is stacked on a separator tape from a supply reel 62, then supplying this tape 61 to an area between the pressure applying tool 63 and the side edge portions, on which electrodes 66 are arranged respectively, of a substrate 65 via guide rollers 64a, 64b arranged on both sides of a pressure applying tool 63, then affixing the ACF 61a onto the electrodes 66 by pushing the ACF 61a against the electrodes 66 of the substrate 65 via the separator tape by the pressure applying tool 63, and then pitch-feeding the separator tape by a pitch feeding means 67 after the ACF affixing is made and also ejecting the separator tape from an eject duct 68 to the outside, wherein a plurality of affixing units 60 are aligned in parallel such that their mutual pitch interval can be set adjustably. Here, 69 denotes a cutter for cutting the ACF just before the guide roller 64a on the supply reel side to correspond to a length of the electrode, and 70 denotes a releasing mechanism that is moved back and forth in an area between the pressure applying tool 63 and the substrate 65 to release the separator tape from the ACF 61a after the ACF 61a is affixed onto the electrodes 66.
In the configuration set forth in Patent Literature 2, in two affixing units being arranged in parallel, respective pressure applying tools are provided to the portions that are located closely mutually, and also the supply reels, the recovery reels, and the tape running routes between them are provided in a bilaterally symmetrical fashion with respect to an intermediate line between two affixing units.